Aarhus University renews partnership agreement with the City of Aarhus

Once again, the City of Aarhus and Aarhus University stress their common goal of strengthening Aarhus as an attractive and healthy city to live in for students, families and entrepreneurs with the drive to develop their business. These are some of the main points in the four-year partnership agreement that the university and the city have just signed.

The City of Aarhus has a longstanding tradition of collaborating with the university, and the agreement will assist in making this partnership more concrete through projects that are in line with the partnership’s strategic focus areas.

The main projects in the agreement between Aarhus University and the City of Aarhus are: 

• Collaboration on applying the university’s research and knowledge to sectors outside of the university to a greater extent in order to create new business opportunities and thereby create more growth and more jobs.
• Establishment of more student jobs, especially for students with the highest risk of unemployment.
• Create the best possible opportunities for students to carry out projects and MA theses with private companies and public organisations in order to increase their chances of landing a job after graduation.
• Develop a better framework for student-led entrepreneurship and make Aarhus more visible to investors.
• Continue to maintain a high standard of academic excellence at the university to attract the most talented students.
• Strive to reach carbon neutrality, exchange knowledge and collaborate on the basis of research, practical experience and specific action plans such as the City of Aarhus’ Climate Action Plan 2021-2024.

The various cooperation areas are defined in a supplementary agreement to the partnership agreement, and the cooperation areas will be revised every other year.

Rector Brian Bech Nielsen is very satisfied with the renewed agreement:

“The agreement clearly highlights the close connection between university and municipality, and how their collaboration creates mutually beneficial conditions which benefit the citizens. As a university, we support the City of Aarhus’ goal of creating a liveable and sustainable city for everyone. We also really appreciate the City of Aarhus’ support when it comes to developing our research and education and initiatives such as increased student-led entrepreneurship that align with the city’s ambitions for a strong business environment,” says Brian Bech Nielsen.

Mayor Jacob Bundsgaard also praises the new partnership agreement:

“In an increasingly complex world, it’s necessary to work together to reach common goals. Aarhus University and the City of Aarhus are each other’s prerequisites when we collaborate on developing Aarhus as an international city of knowledge with solutions for the global challenges of the future. That’s why I’m also pleased to see that the partnership with Aarhus University has become even stronger in recent years,” says Jacob Bundsgaard.

One major theme in the agreement is the climate emergency. In collaboration with the City of Aarhus, the university is contributing to the development of water purification technology to protect water resources and increase the natural biodiversity near the city.

“One of the biggest challenges of our time is climate change, which not only requires individual behavioural changes but also innovative and research-based solutions. That’s why it’s so crucial that Aarhus University and the City of Aarhus agree on a determined focus on the green transition in this partnership agreement,” says Jacob Bundsgaard.

Brian Bech Nielsen adds: “The university is keen to contribute to solving climate challenges both near and far. Making use of the university’s knowledge and discoveries to help ensure the city’s welfare and the quality of its water supply. So I’m also very pleased that climate initiatives and sustainability are such major themes in the agreement.”